BELL CANOE WORKS HIN Decoder
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with DQH were assigned by the US Coast Guard to BELL CANOE WORKS of LA CROSSE, WI. The company is recorded as out of business since 2013 — common for older hulls, and useful to know when hunting parts or records. Enter the full 12-character HIN below for build date, model year, and serial — free, no account.
MIC
DQH
Location
LA CROSSE, WI
In business
since 1990
Status
Out of business (2013)
Parent company
ORC INDUSTRIES
BELL CANOE WORKS hulls (1990–2013) all use the current HIN format: a month letter (A=January…L=December), a certification-year digit, then two model-year digits.
Free · no account · the HIN is on the transom, upper starboard (right) corner
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BELL CANOE WORKS HIN FAQ
What does a BELL CANOE WORKS HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "DQH" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to BELL CANOE WORKS — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. BELL CANOE WORKS hulls (1990–2013) all use the current HIN format: a month letter (A=January…L=December), a certification-year digit, then two model-year digits.
Is BELL CANOE WORKS still in business?
USCG records list BELL CANOE WORKS as out of business since 2013 (associated with ORC INDUSTRIES). That's common for older hulls — the HIN still decodes normally, and the out-of-business date helps date the boat and guides parts-hunting toward salvage and owner groups rather than a dealer network.
How do I decode the year on a BELL CANOE WORKS HIN?
On current-format HINs the last two characters are the model year and the 9th–10th encode the certification month and year. BELL CANOE WORKS hulls (1990–2013) all use the current HIN format: a month letter (A=January…L=December), a certification-year digit, then two model-year digits. Enter the full 12-character HIN above and the decoder works it out, including the legacy formats.
Other builders in WI
Sources: USCG Manufacturer Identification Code database (uscgboating.org, refreshed monthly) · HIN format per 33 CFR 181 subpart C. Cite this page: CarWhere, "BELL CANOE WORKS HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/dqh, last verified 2026-06-12.